• So why can Formula One race in the rain but NASCAR can't?
• Isn't it just rain anyway?

Or did COTA never figure how to drain water off the course?

I recall one year when Sebring 12 hours had four inches of water on the course.
Why is NASCAR different?

Rain racing at COTA 'a learning experience' - NASCAR's Miller

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | May 23, 2021 9:43 PM

NASCAR has vowed to learn from what turned out to be a wild day of racing in the rain at Circuit of the Americas, which included calling the race early.

Chase Elliott was declared the winner after 54 laps. Scott Miller, NASCAR vice president of competition, said officials initially red-flagged the race to deploy the Air Titans to clear the backstretch. The high-speed section of the course continually had standing water on it that left drivers with poor visibility due to spray being kicked off the cars.

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It became clear to NASCAR that with how heavy it was raining, it was a futile effort to try and restart the race. Officials had also cleaned that area of the course before the end of Stage 2 following complaints from drivers and two big crashes. Under the same caution, drivers were brought down pit road for teams to assist with clearing windshields and helmet visors.

“I think that we always try to learn from what we do,” Miller said. “This was kind of a new thing at a big natural terrain road course, and we will certainly learn from that.

“I would kind of own the fact that maybe we did let it go a little bit too long before we did something. But it’s a learning experience for all of us. We will learn. We’ll be better next time, and I think would we pull the plug earlier, probably so.”

Miller said the plan is to look through any available information and high-resolution video to understand better how spray comes off the cars and a possible solution. Multiple drivers complained over their in-car radios, and in interviews, the further back in the field they ran, the worse it was to see. Some went as far as saying they were driving blind.

Poor visibility led to the crash that knocked Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, and Bubba Wallace out of the race. Bell ran into the back of Ryan Blaney, and when Harvick was warned and slowed down, he was run into by Wallace, who didn’t see him.


Harvick was particularly upset Sunday. The 2014 series champion called the racing in the conditions “the most unsafe” thing he’s ever done.

“Harvick has his right to his opinion,” Miller responded. “I don’t think that’s an opinion that’s universally shared among the drivers, and we certainly don’t want to put anybody in harm’s way out there. It’s a tough job for us to balance a competitive event, a good show for the fans, and with the driver’s best interest.

“It’s a tough job. I think rain at a race points out the fact that everybody in this business has a hard job … and balance all the elements to suit everybody is a tough job.”

 

Some drivers were content with NASCAR's call to end rain-plagued Texas GP early

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | May 23, 2021 11:15 PM

Cup Series drivers seemed to side with NASCAR officials over the calling for a premature ending to the inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas because of the issues with racing in the rain.

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Chase Briscoe felt officials made the right call in ending the Texas Grand Prix after 54 laps. NASCAR initially called a caution because of persistent visibility issues on the backstretch before determining the heavy rain wouldn’t allow them to restart the race even if they removed some standing water.

“We were just going to keep tearing stuff up,” Briscoe said. “I’m all for racing in the rain, but it was dangerous. You couldn’t see anything, and literally, anybody could have been stopped, and you would have hit him wide open. That’s how bad it was. It was hairy, to say the least, but it was fun, too.”

There were two significant accidents because drivers couldn’t see a fellow competitor slowing in front of them. Christopher Bell ran into the back of Ryan Blaney, and when Kevin Harvick slowed further back, he was run into by Darrell Wallace Jr. Later, Martin Truex Jr. went for a wild ride after he ran into the back of Michael McDowell and was rear-ended by Cole Custer. The force of the contact sent Truex’s car on top of Custer’s car.


Drivers complaining about driving blind and not being able to see anything was a common theme Sunday afternoon. But Chris Buescher admitted despite the conditions, the cars weren’t the problem.

“I have mixed emotions because I felt like we had more in us, but at the same time, I haven’t seen the replays of some of those crashes on the back,” Buescher said. “But when vision is zero, it’s dangerous. I think that’s where this amount of rain and even though we’re standing outside now and it’s not terrible, it would have taken a lot of time to get the standing water off.

“Unfortunately, it comes down to vision. That’s it. The cars don’t drive that bad in these conditions, it’s just vision. We can’t see.”

NASCAR vice president of competition Scott Miller said officials would investigate any possible solutions to the spray coming off the cars. At this time, Miller isn’t sure what that might be.

Given the visibility issues, NASCAR did allow teams to assist drivers before the end of the second stage with clearing windshields and helmet visors. As they did, officials dispatched the Air Titans to work on the standing water, which Kyle Larson felt helped.


Selfishly, Larson would have liked to have kept racing and tried for the win, given that teammate Chase Elliott was short on fuel. But in the end, Larson was OK with NASCAR calling it early. Kyle Busch was also OK with going home early.

“It’s been four hours, enough is enough,” Busch said. “White flag, wave it.”

Busch did admit to having fun when it was only sprinkling, but once the rain picked up, “it was dangerous. It was treacherous.”

Joey Logano felt fine with how most of the day progressed, even with being uncomfortable during restarts when in the pack. Logano used the word “sketchy” throughout the weekend, including to describe when a driver could no longer see the red light in the rear window of the car in front of them.

“But it was fun. I had a blast,” Logano added. “It was mentally draining, mentally very, very challenging out there because the track changed so much from lap to lap. One lap it’s pouring, the next lap it’s raining a little bit, and then you’re hydroplaning everywhere, and you’re really slipping and sliding, and tires meant something. Which I think was surprising to everybody – that tires meant something.

“You saw the 18 (Kyle Busch) drive through the field one time. We put tires on and were able to drive through the field, so it was kind of fun. We’re all learning together and trying to figure it all out at the same time.”

On how things unfolded at the end of the day, Logano broke it down this way: “If we kept going, everything was fine. If we kept clicking laps off, probably everything would have been fine. Yeah, we were hydroplaning a lot down the straightaway. Yes, there was standing water. What’s the line? I don’t know. I think we’re all trying to figure it out together, but once they put the yellow out, then you can’t restart the race because you pack everybody up, and they’re hydroplaning, and you can’t see.

“It was a recipe for disaster, so you can’t restart the race, but everyone was spread out at that moment, so you were probably OK. But maybe safe than sorry after looking at that crash with Cole (Custer) and the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.). I didn’t see that coming. I didn’t see the race, but I just saw a replay a minute ago when I got out. When that’s (happening), you need to really be aware of the situation.”

 

OPINION: NASCAR has to own its COTA failings

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | May 25, 2021 12:05 PM

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Perhaps it’s too harsh to call NASCAR officials insane after what happened at Circuit of The Americas, but they are due for some criticism.

After the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series races went off without significant issue, the inaugural Cup Series race had a premature ending, and one that should have come much sooner. Standing water, repeated complaints about poor visibility, and two massive crashes marred the day.

NASCAR vice president of competition Scott Miller owned up to the fact that the series should have acted faster. But that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was Miller then going into the classic offerings of officials having a tough job and that they’ll learn going forward. Stop right there.

Drivers were constantly coming over the in-car radios saying they couldn’t see. You’ve heard the feedback – they used words like ‘sketchy’, ‘dangerous’, and ‘treacherous’. They were driving blind. Officials do not monitor every radio, but they certainly have access to enough of them to have known what their competitors were saying about track conditions.

Or we should take a minute to admit that the individuals behind the wheel know what they are talking about, and their feedback should be weighted heavily. In this case, NASCAR knew what the drivers were saying, and it should have listened from the beginning. Racing in the rain is challenging enough. Racing in standing water with spray coming off the back of big heavy stock cars is just ridiculous.

Listen to your drivers. If they aren’t happy and can’t compete to the best of their ability, the racing will suffer.
Oh yeah? Why can't their ability improve? Is that like saying that NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO EVER RACE AT A HIGHER STATUS LEVEL OF RACING. Stuff it Kelly! Don't you ever drive on the street in the rain? Are you any better than day one?

Another reason that Miller’s statement was laughable is that NASCAR officials should have known better. They should have already learned their lesson.
Chase Elliott (No. 9 Chevrolet) leads Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Chevrolet) in a deluge, which created low-visibility conditions at Circuit of The Americas. (Matthew Thacker/Motorsport Images)

Consider the Charlotte Roval last fall. The Xfinity Series race ran in a monsoon; an absolute downpour that made it miserable for drivers, photographers, fans, and even those not standing outside. Just watching it wasn’t fun. There was nothing good about what happened in October. Drivers couldn’t see, couldn’t control their cars, and it was chaos at every corner.

It seems many forgot what happened that day and let history repeat itself at COTA. It’s unacceptable, and opens the door to whether NASCAR should be in the racing in the rain business. Damp conditions seem to be OK. It even seems like we can get away with a light sprinkle. But it becomes a trust issue around officials knowing when to call things off from there.

If that’s the case, don’t race in the rain. Has the focus on making racing entertaining become so important that we must continue to push stock cars to do things they aren’t suited to do? Another one of Miller’s responses Sunday night was that other forms of motorsports race in the rain. Good for them. NASCAR needs to stop trying to be like everyone else. Brian France had a bad habit of trying to make auto racing like other series and sports, resulting in going to a playoff format and eventual eliminations, to name a few changes. It’s a separate conversation on whether those are good things, but in this case, the analogy of stop governing your sport by being a copycat still stands.

Don’t race in the rain, NASCAR. Not when there is currently no solution for the spray of water coming off the cars. And that also means, please stop trying to develop a wet-weather tire for short tracks. If drivers cannot adequately compete in wet conditions on a road course where they are spread out, what are we expecting on tracks shorter than one mile when they will be closer together?

 

NASCAR and its teams keen for lessons from COTA rain to soak in

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | May 27, 2021 12:15 PM ET

Despite a wild day last Sunday at Circuit of The Americas, stock cars can race in the rain, but there is still homework to be done to help drivers with poor visibility and sketchy conditions.

“I don’t know that any car is ‘good’ in the rain,” said Chad Knaus of Hendrick Motorsports. “Street cars that are designed to be driven in inclement weather, if it’s raining out, it’s hard to see. You slow down, right? That’s kind of what it is. Quite honestly, I felt like our cars performed extremely well in the rain situations. The drivers were able to steer, turn, accelerate, race; I think they performed really well.

“The issue was the spray. So, visibility is difficult. That’s like that in any form of racing or on the street. You’re going to deal with that. So, I don’t think that our car is bad in wet conditions per se. I think it actually performed really well. I don’t think there’s any car that’s really good in the rain when you’re behind somebody else. That’s a tough position to be in.”

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The million-dollar question is what NASCAR can do about it? Randall Burnett, crew chief for Tyler Reddick at Richard Childress Racing, acknowledged that the spray is not harmful when the rain is light and the track merely damp. It becomes a problem when cars start throwing spray off the rear during heavy rain and with standing water on the track.

“The bigger concern is when you can’t see,” Burnett said. “It has to do with even something as simple as the design of the rear bumper or anything like that. Tyler ran both races, the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series, and it was raining pretty good in Xfinity Series qualifying. He said the spray off the back of the Xfinity cars was dramatically less than it was on the Cup cars. So, just the subtle difference in the cars from the Xfinity side to the Cup side made a huge difference for him in the visibility.

“There are certainly some things to probably be learned there, and everyone is still learning together. It’s not something we’ve done a whole lot. It’s a big learning curve.”
Tyler Reddick reported the spray was easier to deal with in his Xfinity Series car than on the Cup side. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

The rear ends of a Cup Series car are high enough off the ground to allow water to come from underneath the cars and off the rear tires. Burnett wonders if having a longer bumper could make the difference.

“The bumper is pretty high on the car relatively speaking to the ground where even on the Xfinity car, the bumper cover is lower to the ground,” Burnett said. “The bumper is taller or longer, you should say, and something as simple as that could be helping reduce the spray. It could (also) be the speed difference. The Cup cars are running quite a bit quicker than the Xfinity cars were there.

“It’s a lot with the drivers wearing full-faced helmets with the visors, and then you got front and rear windows and a defogger system that hasn’t really been developed really well because we’ve only run a couple of races where we’ve had to use them. All these things are things that teams are working on.”

On Monday, NASCAR officials held a wet-weather tire test at Richmond Raceway as they continue to determine whether it’s possible to run in damp conditions on tracks less than one mile. However, maybe there is a lesson from that venture officials can apply to road courses. For instance, Joey Logano, the driver participating in the test, said the mud flap idea helped with what the spray was doing but didn’t eliminate it.

Both Burnett and Logano agreed that the Goodyear wet-weather tire wasn’t the issue at COTA. But Logano wondered if maybe there is something that can be done with the tread.


“I think the biggest things we realized is when we put slick tires on it, slicks were obviously very slick — the cars were undrivable, but there was no spray,” said Logano. “That means it’s coming from the treads on the tires, so maybe there’s a less-aggressive tread pattern that, one, allows us to have grip. We need to have that as well, but maybe can eliminate some of the spray.”

Another part of the visibility issue was with windshield wipers and keeping the window from fogging up. Burnett admitted the wiper on Reddick’s No. 8 Chevrolet did not work as they thought it would, or the Rain-X wore off quickly.

NASCAR mandates a functioning windshield wiper and taillight, but teams can play with that as they see fit. Particularly the windshield wiper is another area where they want to make sure it isn’t a disadvantage with aerodynamics or weight. At COTA, some drivers had issues with their wipers functioning correctly.

“We’ve got to do a better job of helping ourselves in that circumstance,” Burnett said.

And that’s the crux of the issue with racing in the rain. If the cars are suited to do it, there just needs to be some tweaks to make it better for the drivers to handle and be able to see as well as racing in just light rain or damp conditions and knowing when it’s raining too hard.

“There’s probably an element to that, for sure,” admitted Knaus. “I think the only way to learn is to do. Could some decisions have been made? NASCAR has admitted it. Could single-file restarts a little bit sooner help? Yeah, I don’t disagree. But… just like racing on the dirt, you don’t know that until you do it. And you learn from your mistakes.

“So, it’s an environmental thing where you’ve just got to get yourself immersed in there. You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to get in the environment, understand the situations, and then make decisions as you go. That’s unfortunately what we have to do. I think NASCAR did the best job they could under the circumstances. I feel like they learned a lot and we’ll just grow from it.”

COTA, NASCAR

 

So how do huge Jaguar 4 door sedans race in the rain?

 

Emotional win for Dyson in drenched Lime Rock Park Trans Am race
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emailBy Trans Am | May 29, 2021 6:06 PM ET

Winning at his home track was twice as sweet for Chris Dyson in Saturday’s Trans Am Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park. The resident of nearby Poughkeepsie, N.Y. led every lap for his second Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli victory of the season, while polesitter Ernie Francis Jr., his closest rival for the championship, failed to finish after a mechanical issue.

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Dyson led every lap at Lime Rock for the second-consecutive race (he won in 2019), scoring his eighth career victory in the No. 20 ATWELL CBD Ford Mustang in a race that began in the rain and ended on a drying track.

“This means the world to me,” Dyson said. “The conditions were challenging, but Lime Rock always puts an extra spring in my step, and it’s an unbelievable feat to drive around this place in these Trans Am cars at these speeds and in these conditions, against the caliber of drivers in this field. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, it’s always been special to be part of this tradition. What a day for the team – what a points day too! I think we’re just hitting our stride.”

Francis Jr. entered the race with a slim lead in the standings in the No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang, and won the Motul Pole Award in Friday’s rainy qualifying.

The race began with rain pouring down the front straight. Using a move that he learned from legendary Dyson Racing driver Butch Leitzinger, Dyson went to the outside in Turn 1 on the opening lap to take the lead. Francis did a 360-spin on the wet track and continued, although in eighth place.

“I’ve had that move in my pocket,” said Dyson. “I watched Butch Leitzinger use that move so many times here, and I’ve been waiting years to use it.”

Francis recovered quickly and worked his way up to third, setting his sights on Dyson’s teammate, second-place Andy Lally in the No. 21 Amamos LaVida Tequilla Mustang. Francis finally got by Lally entering No-Name Straight on Lap 28. Lally dove to the inside to regain the position entering the final turn, with Francis coming to a rapid stop shortly thereafter before pulling off in Turn 1 with mechanical issues.

“It’s been a very unlucky weekend for us, we’ve been kind of struggling all season, we are trying to shake it off and get back on track,” said Francis Jr. “I had a spin at the start, I pinched it down a bit tight, and spun off Chris’ (Dyson) car. I got back going and was moving through the field pretty quick. I thought we had a car to fight for the win if we had a caution. I came down the hill and lost oil pressure, and had to pull it off to save the motor. It’s really disappointing we couldn’t get the finish we wanted for our sponsors, but we will come back next time and do better.”



With Francis gone, Dyson’s biggest threat was the weather as the rain let off and the track began to dry over the final 25 laps. Ken Thwaits hit the tire barrier at the end of the front straight on Lap 50 in the No. 50 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro to bring out the first caution. Thwaits was able to continue after being extricated.

Racing resumed on Lap 55 with less than eight minutes remaining on the drying but slippery circuit. Tomy Drissi passed Lally for second with seven laps remaining. Drissi fended off Lally down to the stripe, only 0.315-seconds separated the pair at the checkered, as Drissi took second in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro. Drissi’s clean defense earned him the ChillOut Moment of the Race.

“I learned a lot today over the last few laps,” said Drissi. “My tires came in right away [after the restart] and I got by Lally and I was catching Dyson. I’m feeling really good, but all of a sudden I see Dyson pick it up and Lally’s right behind me. I learned a lot. Lally was very nice to me,”

Lally was a late replacement for Humaid Masood in the No. 21 Mustang, with the sports car veteran winning his lone prior Trans Am start at Watkins Glen in 2017.

“It was fun,” Lally said. “With a drying track like that in these cars sliding around, to do battle with guys like Chris and Tomy was pretty crazy. We had a couple runs, but Tomy was smart with his lines on that last lap. We were side-by-side in West Bend, and we picked up a lapped guy. Tomy used him as a pick, and that was that. Trans Am’s a fun group, especially with this horsepower in mixed conditions like today.”

Three-time Lime Rock winner Paul Fix II, running his first race in two seasons, placed fourth in the No. 4 StopFlex.com/Car Coach Corvette. He was followed by Simon Gregg in the No. 59 The Peter Gregg Foundation Camaro, and David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang.

Kerry Hitt, who finished seventh in the Advanced Composite Products Cadillac CTS-V, had his first Lime Rock race against Paul Newman in a Datsun 510. Hitt took the win in the TA Masters Class.



Michael Phillips led all the way to claim his first victory in SGT, driving the New York City-based No. 97 F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Corvette.

“It was really busy out there,” Phillips said. “I saw Justin Oakes roll the dice and start out on dries, so I knew I had to get out and stay out. Then I saw my 47-second gap evaporate because of the yellow, but that’s racing. I was geared up for battle with Justin at the end, but I didn’t know what happened to him.”

Jason Berkeley – the lone Pro-Am competitor in the field – finished second in the No. 67 Falls Village Inn Corvette. Gambling by running slick tires, two-time 2021 SGT winner Justin Oakes dropped out in the closing minutes while running second with electrical problems in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette.

Erich Joiner led all the way in XGT in the No. 10 Good Boy Bob Coffee Roasters Porsche 991 GT3-R, finishing ninth overall. It was his second-consecutive and fifth career victory in the category.

Philip Di Pippo took the GT victory but failed to finish, completing enough laps in the No. 94 Saasco Sports Ford Mustang for his second victory of the season.

The TA2 class will be in the spotlight when the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic concludes on Monday. Qualifying begins at 9:05 a.m. (all times ET) with the 68-lap race taking the green flag at 1:30 p.m.



The full race will be live streamed on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App: https://gotransam.com/news/Download-the-Trans-Am-by-Pirelli-Racing-App-to-Watch-Live-Events/70250